The Lady of Ice
by Starshadow5
Summary: A unknowing girl who grows up in the slums, is ordered to kill the prince. Yet she's seen him before and doesn't wish to kill him. Together they escape down into the ancient ruins of Limantos
1. Default Chapter

Author's note: I'm really new at this, so I'd appreciate if you would read and review my story and tell me any faults/ spelling errors I've made and any improvements I could make.  
  
She was running as fast as she could down a dark street, footsteps pounded behind her, urging her to keep running. There, to her left, was it a gated alley? It surely seems dark enough. Leaping the gate with well-practiced ease, she crouched down in the shadows. The guards thundered past her, never once stopping to examine the alley. Pleased with herself she stood and stretched out her cramped muscles, she didn't know if she had ever ran so far, so fast. Sighing she walked down the alley, keeping in the shadows, she didn't know this place and whatever that may lurk at the end could be the end of her life.  
  
She heard a roar and panicked, that roar, was it the roar of armies in combat training? It would be awfully foolish of her to be able to out run the place guards and run straight into an army in training. She crept closer and the roar became deafening, she gasped as she turning the corner; a cascading waterfall fell down to her left, it's roaring water pouring into the fathomless lake before her. The lake seemed to stretch forever and clustered at the center of the lake, seemed to be ruins. Silver eyes widened as she stared around her, taking in as much as she could of this wonderful sight.  
  
"Pretty sight, isn't it?" a light male voice asked behind her.  
  
She spun and faced him, her knives already unsheathed. A green eyed, blond youth was staring at her. He must be a merchant's kid, she decided, for he was dressed very richly indeed. He wore a blue silk shirt over pale gray breeches that screamed of money.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked, eyes narrowing.  
  
He grinned, irking her ever more. "This isn't somewhere a little girl should wonder off by herself to."  
  
She glared at him. "Well then, why is a three year old baby doing here?"  
  
Amusement lit his eyes, "You'll be caged if you're caught here by the guards, did you know that?"  
  
A clock stroke the hour somewhere and she gasped as she realized the time. Without another word, she ran off towards her den. But her heart pounded against her chest, who was that boy? And more importantly what did he want with her? 


	2. The Den

Slinking through the streets of the lower city until she came to her den, she straightened. Only now did it hit her. She had failed. She, Shila had failed to complete a command. She didn't finish mapping the palace. Her blood froze in her veins. The Thief Lord did not tolerate failures, many of her friends has lost their lives this way. Gulping she crept into the den. It was lit faintly by torches in bracket on the walls, cloths hang down, like a door to ones room. She had been lucky, her room actually had door. When she reached it, she went inside with a sigh of relief. The thief lord hadn't seen her and who's going to tell him? She thought.  
  
"I didn't think you would fail." a voice behind her suddenly said. She whirled and came face to face with Thief Lord. Blinking up at him, she stood dumfounded. So he did find out after all.  
  
He backed up a step and told her to sit. Obeying she meekly sat down on the edge of the bed, her mouth a thin line.  
  
"You know what I do to failures, don't you my pretty?" His gruff voice taunted.  
  
"You know very well that I don't accept failures. No not fail me again."  
  
Suddenly a cold wind blew through the room, chilling Shila to the bone. The next thing she knew was that the Thief lord had gone and that she was cold. Hopping around to warm herself, she decided she wanted to go and see that cascade again. She had never seen such beauty. Yet she seemed drawn to it somehow. After a rough meal of bread and water, she crept out of the den once more.  
  
The stars shone with light and the moon was full. Fireflies buzzed around lanterns and cats lazily slept on doorsteps. As quietly as she could she ran down to the lower city, back to the cascade. She heard its roar before she saw anything and when she did her breath was taken away once more. The water reflected the moons beauty and the castle at the center of the lake glittered with light. She sat down on the stone stab that she stood on and thought of her childhood. It had not been easy growing up in the lower city, sure the upper city was filled with life and only nobles and rich merchants lived up there, but why should the lower city be the dump she lives in now? There were no markets, no clean streets and a paid guard won't stay here. She sighed, the Thief Lord had found her in the streets when she was 2, since then she had been raised with thieves and bandits. She had to fight for every scrap of food she got, which made her a good fighter, but even so she didn't know if she'd live much longer if she failed again. She didn't remember her parents, though sometimes she might get a flash about her past, she never remembered much. She had no family, no friends, the Thief Lord had told her. She had no emotion and will not have any emotion. Only the strong survive and you can't survive on emotion, but whenever she saw children running around playing with their parents, she'll always remember how she had never had any to care for her.  
  
A noise behind her interrupted her thoughts. Cursing she struggled against the net that had been thrown over her. Squinting up, she saw no nets but the face of the boy she had met earlier today.  
  
"Don't struggle," he advised. "It's a magical net, you can't break it."  
  
"Oh, Really?" she challenged and reached deep inside of her, to the pool of magic she had discovered when she was 12, calling on the magic she thought hard of ice and snow, blizzards and rain, as the boy started to freeze, his grip on the magical net slipping. Jumping up once the net was broken she held a knife to his throat.  
  
"How about we do it my way?" she asked with a wicked glint in her eyes. 


	3. The Plan

Authors' note: I kindof changed the first two chapters a bit.  
  
"P-please." he pleaded, eyes wide with fear, "Wh-who are you?"  
  
She slapped him, "Don't ever try to use magic on me again! Do you hear me??!!"  
  
"I-I'm sorry."  
  
The sound of foot steps startled her, those sounded like palace guards, with a gasp she lowered her knife and ran through the black alleys until she reached the den again. Sighing she crept into her room and slept.  
  
She was struggling to get out, her fur was wet and heavy, a pair of red eyes glowed above her as if daring her to come closer. She had to get out! She would drown if she didn't, but her paws were already slipping, letting her slip down into the fathomless depths of the lake.  
  
Smoothering a scream, she sat up panting. That had been so real, yet now it was so unclear. Paws? Fur? What on earth was that dream about? Shaking her head, she went back to sleep.  
  
The next morning was fine, excitement pounded through her. Today was the day. The one day they had planned for years. They were going to murder the prince. The one who had ordered the killing of all rogues and thieves. Now he was going to pay.  
  
Securing her knives, Shila stood and stode over to the underground cavern, where the meeting was held. Most rogues now only lived in these underground caverns of limestone, since any rogues caught were exicuted.  
  
The gathering was big and almost everyone was there. A voice thundered through the cavern, it's voice echoing against the rock walls.  
  
"Friends! Now the day has come. The day we have planned so carefully the past few years. The prince has slaughtered our friends and family. He has ordered us dead and today will be day we order his death!"  
  
The ground quivered as more than 200 rogues shouted and stamped their agreement.  
  
"Let the plan begin." 


	4. The Fight

The ground quivered as more than 200 rogues shouted and stamped their agreement.  
  
"Let the plan begin."  
  
200 rogues filed out of the cavern just then, Shila with them. The streets were deserted, not a soul was in sight. No one was going to risk being in the way of these rogues. Together they stormed to the upper city, it's splendor dazzling them for a second before they split. A group lit fires all over the city, nobles and merchants alike. Sleep guards fought to stand up as they're last nights drugged tea took affect. One by one they fell into a deep slumber. No one was going to save the upper city now.  
  
The others lead by Shila, kept going until they reached the palace. The palace was the most splendid and wealthy place in the entire realm. Torrents and towers rose around the main frame. The wall guarding it was over 30 feet. That didn't stop them. The guards on duty had been drugged and a side door opened for them. Creeping into the sleeping palace they crept until they were in the gardens. Covered by the plants, they started to shoot fire arrows that exploded once it made contact with anything. The castle walls shook with the impacts. Servants, guards and soldiers rushed out and that's when Shila got moving.  
  
Mixing with the guards she reached the Royal Princes' room. Rogues had already gotten in here; the prince was already fighting 5 with his magic, while his guards fought one each.  
  
Just one knife and he's down, she thought. With her poison tipped knife posed to strike, she crept closer. That's when he turned. Her eyes widened as she realized it was the boy from before, the one at the waterfall.  
  
She couldn't do it.  
  
Sure, she had killed before, but never had she killed someone she had known before. Biting her lip she thought, they'll blow the palace up in pieces soon.  
  
Then it hit her; she wouldn't be able to get out anyway. They had never planned on what would happen to the rogues still trapped in the place when they were going to shoot Darkfire, balls of jelly that could take a place down in seconds.  
  
A voice inside of her told her get the prince away from here.  
  
"This is what I've come down to now." She said with a sigh. "Listening to voices in my head."  
  
Throwing her knife down she grabbed the princes' arm.  
  
"Follow me!" she shouted above the roar of the palace guards' fight.  
  
Still gripping his arm, she raced out of the palace as anyone before her was swept away in a gust of wind. They kept running until they came to the eastern wall of the palace, a cliff. Without thinking, she jumping as the prince screamed, landing with a roll she dragged him inside a cave as balls of Darkfire rained down from above. Glancing around, she realized the prince was unconscious. His arm was bleeding profusely and his leg looked broken.  
  
Ripping up her shirt she bound his arm used her magic to heal the bone in his leg. Now shaking with using up too much of her magic, she curled up and slept. 


	5. The Cave

It was dark when she awoke and stretching, she noticed the prince watching her.  
  
"Whatcha look at?" she snarled at him.  
  
"I have to thank you, you saved my life." he said, glancing away.  
  
"Yeah, well I was about to take your life too."  
  
"What is your name?" he asked as he used his magic to fix his arm..  
  
"Do I have to tell?"  
  
"Yes, we can't, well I can not go around shouting Oi you there." Amusement lit his eyes as she scowled.  
  
"Its Shila." She said finally. "Yours?"  
  
The prince was even more amused now. "You came to kill me, without knowing my name?"  
  
Shila growled.  
  
"Ok, ok, chill it would you? It's Jonathon."  
  
"Well Jonathon, we better get a move on. If we're going to get out of here before we starve. I hope this cave leads somewhere, or we're both dead meat."  
  
He nodded and stood.  
  
They walked into the depth of the cave.  
  
"Drat! I can't see anything in this darkness!" she swore.  
  
"Wait," he said and lifted a hand, light fluttered from it, lighting the walls around them.  
  
Glaring, she walked on. The cave seemed to stretch forever, in spirals too. She pointed this out to him.  
  
"Are we going downwards?"  
  
When he nodded, but didn't say anything, she kept going. Hours passed in silence as neither would talk to the other, finally they came to the end of the tunnel. An iron door blocked their way. It had intricate patterns cut into its surface; a phoenix gripping a sword seemed to be its emblem. Without a word, Jonathon tried to open the door with no success. Next he tried his magic on it. It only blew him backwards.  
  
Finally Shila got bored. "Can't you just open it?"  
  
It was his turn to glare at her now. "Why don't you try?"  
  
"Fine I will!" she said and stomp over to the door.  
  
Pushing the handle on it downwards, she pushed. The door creaked open slowly and Jonathon looked at her with awe.  
  
"I couldn't even open that."  
  
"Well you weren't trying hard enough," she retorted before stepping through the door. Winding stairs now lead upwards.  
  
"Oh that's just greeattt. Stairs! Like I haven't been climbing enough already!" Despite her complains though, she continued to stomp upwards.  
  
A whistling surrounded them, echoing off the spiralling walls of room. Shila ignored it and kept going. Jonathon just followed her, his face in grimace.  
  
The stairs finally ended to show a well-lit cavern, quite like the one they had the meeting in. But the walls were crystals that glittered with light. A phoenix screeched above them and came to a landing just before them, eyeing them with interest.  
  
"I am to grant a question to all who steps in here." 


	6. Questions of the mind

"I am to grant a question to all who steps in here."  
  
Shila opened her mouth, but Jonathon was quicker.  
  
"Are your answers truthful?"  
  
The phoenix blinked at him and nodded its great golden head.  
  
"I will ask first."  
  
Shila narrowed her eyes at him. "Why can't I?"  
  
He ignored her. "My Uncle is overpowering the nobles. He makes me listen and obey him, ruling indirectly. How can I get rid of him?"  
  
Shila looked at him oddly, did that mean he wasn't the one who ordered the killings?  
  
"You must help the little one find her past, only then will her true powers be revealed, and only then will you stand a chance against your uncle."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Your question has been asked a answered." The phoenix turned and looked at Shila.  
  
"What is your question?"  
  
Thoughts ran through Shila's head, what should she ask? She had a zillion things to ask, but she can't ask them all. Finally she decided upon the one that she had wondered about for all of her life.  
  
"Why- why do I have silver eyes?"  
  
"Very good little one, the reason you have silver eyes is because when you were taken from your home 15 years ago, the mage that took you sealed your magic with his and left you in the lower city. As a result of his magical seal, you have silver eyes. When you learn your past and your heritage, the veils before you will melt away and your eyes will resume its natural color." With that, the great golden wings spread and it disappeared in a flash of fire.  
  
"You idiot! You should've asked how to get out of here!" Jonathon hissed at her.  
  
"So why didn't you?"  
  
He glared at her before turning to examine their surroundings. Shila sighed and glanced around too. There was a looked in a door. Still ignoring him, she walked over and placed her hand on the door. With a gasp, she let go. She was sure the wall had sung! Jonathon noticed her and walked over, he placed his own hands on the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't open. Scowling he kicked it and had to hop around for several minutes afterwards, grabbing his foot and howling in pain.  
  
Shila looked at him coldly. "Can't you just wave a hand at it and say open? What kind of mage are you?"  
  
"All mages have their limits and I can't just say open and expect it to open." He told her.  
  
"But how do you know it won't work?"  
  
"Why don't you try it then!" he yelled, losing his battle with his temper.  
  
"DON'T YOU YELL AT ME! YOU'RE THE THAT DIDN'T ASK HOW TO GET OUT OF HERE!"  
  
"YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ASKED STUPID QUESTIONS ON YOUR EYE COLOR!"  
  
Shila turned and glared at the door instead. "Open!"  
  
The great leafs of ice opened at her word and Jonathon could only gap soundlessly. 


End file.
